The ways of magic are revealed in nature . . . The secrets are written in meandering streams and drifting clouds, whispered by the roaring ocean and cooling breeze, echoed through caves and rocks and forests.

When you draw a heart in the sand, call on the four winds for assistance, or ask the rain to wash away a bad habit, you are practicing earth magic. By working in harmony with nature, we can transform ourselves, our lives, and our world. This tried-and-true guide offers more than one hundred spells, rites, and simple rituals you can perform using the powerful energy of the earth.

Scott Cunningham was a greatly respected teacher and one of the most influential members of the modern Craft movement. A practitioner of elemental magic for twenty years, he wrote more than fifty books, including the seminal Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner.

Preface :« Bylistening to our planet's melodies and merging with them, we becometrue magicians, making our magic in harmony with all nature »

Part I : BASICSTouching the earth

A woman goes by the ocean at night and draws symbols on the sand : why does this simple act constitute magic? Todirect the energies of the sea, she used a symbol. Symbolism, thelanguage of magic and subsconcious mind, is a sort of magicalshorthand. (symbols and runes direct energies to specific ends). Whenthe wave washed the symbol away, it released its own powers and thusly,the magic had begun. Natural magic is direct and to the point. In magical thought, the human body is the microcosm of the earth, which is the macrocosm. Earth: microcosm of universe. We are pictures of the essence of the planet.As such, when we change ourselves, we change the earth and theuniverse.

Magic spelled out

The tools necessary for this book are those of nature : stones, trees, rivers, leaves and plants.

Threenecessities : need should not be confused with desire Desires are oftenpassing. Desire is a whim, all-consuming state. The emotion is alsoclear, but if you are not emotionally involved in the seeking ofemployment, worried or anxious... all the spells in the world won'tbring it to you...The knowledge constitutes the body of magical lore.

Divination: divination should be done to ensure that the need is there, theemotion is sufficient, and that the knowledge is certain and correct.

Thepower hand : magic speaks of the power produced by the body. The powerhand : hand through which these forces are released. (this is the handyou write with) Thus if you drew a symbol with your power hand, thesymbol would be infused with a bit of your own energy.

Imagination and visualization : Imagination = a must in divination. It unlocks symbolism.

Scrying: looking at into or onto a vessel, a surface, a material. The secretof scrying is relaxation. Relax and look, they will come to you. (lookinto the ripples of a stream, the glowing coals of a dying fire...)

Concentration

Feelingthe power : recall an especially powerful storm, that sent a chill downyour spine, and try to recreate this state and this feeling. Recallyour reactions. You may begin to feel charged with energy. Your pulseand breathing may increase in rate, the muscles of your body may tense,and you may begin to perspire. = manifestations of the increased amountof energy surging through your body. This is the same energy used inmagic. Then, you can generate this energy through your spells... Useyour emotions for the purpose of the spell, and don't forget toPRACTICE!

The elements of magic

Earth : closest tohome. We are working with the elements of earth when we walk, sit,stand, crawl, eat, sleep, work our jobs, tend our plants.